Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-05-20
SOME NEW LAWS.
Good Showing to Get Sufficient Force of
Cenviets TO Work tho Roads.

Cenyiets TO Work tho Roads.
Ere many days roll by there is chance
that the county jail will contain enough
Tarrant county no little good
in the way of making some
| hrst-class roads. According to the
publicly declared statements of Commits
sioners Higgins and Nichols, had there
been even ten convicts at the disposal of
the county on the Ist Of May they would
have been set to work. The Sheriff re-
ported only one, and it would hardly pay
to buy tools and hire guards for
one man. 1t is barely possible
that there is q lack of thst hearty
corporation among the county officials
that is almost Indispensable is making
the system a success. But be this as it
may, if the result of some laws passed by
the late Legislature, to go into effect
shortly, is what many think, it will not
be long till Sheriff Shipp will have plenty
OF occupants for his steel
clad apartments. For instance,
the illegal bearing of pistols, heretofore
punishable by fine, has now 9 compul-
sorry confinement clause of from twenty
to sixty days in jail.
only be mulcted of mis- money, but have q
sentence of ten to ninety days thrown in.
The local option sinner, if sdjudged
guilty, ''goes up" from twenty to sixty
days, in addition to pecuniary punish
ment.
1t is not credible that if these laws are
strictly enforced there will be any scare
ity of men to serve the county in road
construction. In the offenses cited no
payment Of money can evade term in
Jail, for the law declares both part of
the punishment. Under the new law,
too, cOnviCts on public works are
allowed % cents per eday,
whereas they have been working. out
their fines at 80 cents per day. Take the
case Of a convict, under the new laws,
who is fined 800, the limit, for carrying
pistol, and is also given the maximMrn
time, sixty days in jail. At % centSsher
day he would serve the county for Sfhe
misdemeanor considerably over year,
1t was urged by Judge FurInanS and
also by County Attorney Carlock that
when juries and judges knew thata man
convicted of misdemeanor. would haye
to work his time out on the roads, instead
Of eating at the cOunty'5 expense, heavier
sFenelties would be impOsed. Under the
present system the lightest sentences. are
given for economicRE reasons. One
ftined $500 for 'tesTryiug q gunr'
Jas it has been heretofore, is entitled to SO
tor every day he lies in jail, which is lain
<eutstn little eyer month. There lisa
geed deal efsdfference betEeen this and
Is0fkias&sU days for S109 fine.
3 IL remains to be seen if these prOphe-
tc{es will pan out 1t looks reasonable
That when Imprisonment in Jail
is compulsory partA of S the
penalty, the guests at *"the big
brick building near the bluff will be far
more numerous. Under the new system,
the convenient mode of letting prisoners
go by making a "Convict bond" will be
done away with permanently. Then, un-
less men quit breaking law "a rather
hopeless idea, the bastiIe is bound to
claim its own. There are good many
people Interested in knowing if the Com
mtssioners mean business, snd they are
waiting patiently to see.